History Main / SuperRegistrationAct

** Furthermore, its spin-off series (taking place years before the main one), ''Manga/VigilanteMyHeroAcademiaIllegals'', focuses on unregistered vigilantes. The main protagonist, Kouichi Haimawari, actually applied to the heroing school, but ended up unable to enter, ironically [[spoiler: because he was late for it because he was saving someone else's life]]. While he still does its best, it's clear that being unregistered has its downsides. The big example is when he meets Tensei Iida, Tenya's older brother. The two hit off splendidly, with the latter helping the former better utilize his sliding Quirk and even offers him a card for a potential job at his organization. However, things change when he realizes Kouichi is a Vigilante when he helps stop a villain. While Tensei is more than happy for the help and doesn't report him, he ends up asking for the card back since he can't endorse what is essentially a lawbreaker, much to Kouichi's dismay.

* In Creator/SergeyLukyanenko's ''Literature/NightWatch'', all [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividuals Others]] are usually required to register with the opposite Watch (i.e. Day Watch for Light Others and Night Watch for Dark Others) when they move into an area, especially if they are vampire or werewolves. For the most part, the {{Muggles}} are not aware of them, and one of the functions of the Watches and the Inquisition is to keep it that way. In fact, many new Others are initiated by the Watches themselves, as they're the ones who actively look for uninitiated Others.

* ''ComicBook/CivilWar'': The big 2006 CrisisCrossover from Creator/MarvelComics, centered around the Super Human Registration Act and the superhero community's reactions to it ([[LetsYouAndHimFight an all-out slugfest]]). The X-Men stayed out of the whole conflict, perhaps so that attention wouldn't be drawn to the trope's overusedness. What's especially problematic here is that the meaning of the SHRA seems to [[DependingOnTheWriter change from comic to comic]] -- sometimes, it's just a matter of heroes registering their identities and powers with the government, but other books treat it as a sort of superhuman draft. This inconsistency and the political climate at the time (the whole thing had parallels to the freedom/security debate surrounding the Patriot Act) make the event's slogan, [[ConceptsAreCheap "Which Side Are You On?"]], much more difficult to answer. Ultimately, the pro-reg side won out but [[PyrrhicVictory at the cost of the respect of the public]], leading to ''[[ComicBook/DarkReign supervillains taking over SHIELD/HAMMER for a while]]''.
** Part of the reason for all this chaos in-story seems to be that the registration act itself is only part of the picture. At the same time, there's a general government push to co-opt the superhero community and rein in its rogue elements. So while the SHRA itself may not mean anything but "anyone with superpowers has to register with the government," you still have creepy black ops types drafting supersoldiers.

** Another big problem with ''ComicBook/CivilWar'', that again varied between writers, was the pro-reg side being led by people who actually had means to make normal law enforcement and military agencies less than near-helpless against metahuman criminals and de-facto private armies (never mind the diverse array of alien, extradimensional and time-travelling conquerors threatening the Earth), which meant not requiring dangerous experiments on people or production of notoriously difficult to control robots, [[ReedRichardsIsUseless but pointedly refusing to do so]]. So you get the situation of Iron Man agonising over the moral quandary of him and War Machine being the only ones who have access to his incredibly advanced crime-fighting armour, whilst pointedly refusing to provide them to law enforcement so that he doesn't have to be.

* In a neat bit of historical reference, UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}} ''All-Star Comics'' series [[RetCon revealed]] the reason the ComicBook/{{Justice Society|OfAmerica}} had broken up in the '50s: they were called before a [[CaptainErsatz thinly-disguised version]] of the House Un-American Activities Committee and asked to reveal their identities. Unwilling to do so but also unwilling to go against the law, they stopped operating for a time. (In a ComicBook/PostCrisis {{Retcon}}, this was changed to the actual HUAC.)
** In the ComicBook/PostCrisis [[Franchise/TheDCU DCU's]] background (related largely in the short-lived series ''Chase''), the act passed by the HUAC actually kept any superheroes from operating openly from 1951 until at least the '80s or '90s, but by the time {{Franchise/Superman}} showed up it had been largely forgotten by the public at large and quietly abolished with no fanfare.

* ''WesternAnimation/VenturaBros''. The Guild of Calamitous Intent effectively runs what can be described as ''supervillain'' registration act. The organization provides insurance, henchmen, and protection from law enforcement as well as making sure its members don't get killed by the superheroes they "arch". However, things like rape and harming civilians are against their code of conduct, as shown by King Gorilla being forced to remain in prison after he murdered and raped (InThatOrder) [[Music/MotleyCrue Vince Neal]] on national television.

** It also explores the role of BadassNormal heroes since they wouldn't apply to the new rules. Knuckle Duster is a big strong dude reminiscent of Marv from ''Sin City'', the Punisher and Batman. He's also a normal person who just fights with brass knuckles yet can go evenly with ''Eraser Head''. In fact, once Eraserhead sees his Quirk-nullifying Quirk has no affect on Knuckle, he stops fighting him. Since Knuckle duster has no Quirk, he doesn't fall under the hero jurisdiction of unregistered Quirk usage. Presumably, it would fall under older rules of vigilantism, but it shows that despite things changing, some stuff remains the same.

** It also explores the role of BadassNormal heroes since they wouldn't apply to the new rules. Knuckle Duster is a big strong dude reminiscent of Marv from ''Sin City'', the Punisher and Batman. He's also a normal person who just fights with brass knuckles yet can go evenly with ''Eraserhead''. In fact, once Eraserhead sees his Quirk-nullifying Quirk has no affect on Knuckle, he stops fighting him. Since Knuckle duster has no Quirk, he doesn't fall under the hero jurisdiction of unregistered Quirk usage. Presumably, it would fall under older rules of vigilantism, but it shows that despite things changing, some stuff remains the same.

* C: [[ToCatchHeroesHireVillains Recruit a group of evil, criminal-minded supervillains to police the heroes]]. The local TailorMadePrison filled with the heroes' RoguesGallery should provide no shortage of potential {{Boxed Crook}}s for your BadassCrew. Some of the [[AntiVillain less bloodthirsty and more sympathetic ones]] might pull a HeelFaceTurn from the allure of [[GoodFeelsGood working on the side of the angels]]; for the rest, it would be a smart idea to secure their loyalty with an ExplosiveLeash implanted in the base of their spinal columns.

** Pre-Crisis, several heroes were granted exemptions (due to their "special status" or "special relations with law enforcement") from Congress' demands, and allowed to continue to operate: Franchise/{{Superman}}, Franchise/{{Batman}} (and Robin), and Franchise/WonderWoman. In reality, these characters were among the few superheroes continuously published through the 1950s (while the rest of their JSA cohorts weren't), a time when superheroes weren't as popular as other genres (Westerns, horror, etc.).

** Another big problem with ''ComicBook/CivilWar'', that again varied between writers, was the pro-reg side being led by people who actually had means to make normal law enforcement and military agencies less than near-helpless against metahuman criminals and de-facto private armies (never mind the diverse array of alien, extradimensional and time-travelling conquerors threatening the Earth), which meant not requiring dangerous experiments on people or production of notoriously difficult to control robots, [[ReedRichardsIsUseless but pointedly refusing to do so]]. The least strict interpretation was that you didn't have to register at all if you didn't plan on fighting crime or using your powers; otherwise, you had to register and possibly submit to some basic safety training (like gun safety training but for superpowers), but as mentioned, many other comics showed SHIELD agents bursting into people's homes at midnight and conscripting them by force. It also didn't help that writers couldn't even agree on the scope of the act's jurisdiction, as some issues showed SHIELD troops arresting Silverclaw, who, as she pointed out in the scene, was a Brazilian citizen, and also ComicBook/BlackPanther, who's not only not an American but a head of state. He, at least, was able to invoke DiplomaticImpunity.

* In ''Anime/MarvelFutureAvengers'', Norman Osborn tricks the United States into adopting one by making the Hulk go berserk. With the aid of Spider-Man, Future Avengers Adi and Chloe expose Osborn as the Green Goblin and the law is repealed.

* In ''Anime/MarvelsFutureAvengers'', Norman Osborn tricks the United States into adopting one by making the Hulk go berserk. With the aid of Spider-Man, Future Avengers Adi and Chloe expose Osborn as the Green Goblin and the law is repealed.

* ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', released in 2016, is a loose adaptation of the Crisis Crossover comic of the same name. The movie primarily focuses on having the Avengers answer to a multi-government authority to keep their predication towards collateral damage in check. ''Series/AgentsOfSHIELD'' expands on it, showing that there's a secondary registration for all those with powers, though it's limited to a protected database.

* ZigZaggingTrope in ''Literature/{{Worm}}'':
** There is, officially, no registration act. Instead, there is the Protectorate, the government-run superhero organization. They offer a very generous HeroSecretService package to any parahuman who agrees to work for them and tell the government their real identity, with benefits such as dedicated training facilities, upgraded costumes, and a large enough paycheck that they can leave their civilian jobs and be heroes full time. Independent heroes aren't legally required to join if they really don't want to. Villains also usually won't have their identities revealed, even if they had committed repeated crimes, as long as their crimes were comparatively minor and they reliably show up to help the Protectorate fight [[GodzillaThreshold S-class threats]].
** However, Protectorate chiefs are under orders to ensure that all parahumans, in one way or another, march to the Protectorate's drum. This includes placing heavy restrictions on the use of superpowers in private business so that Protectorate work is more profitable, asking independent heroes to follow the Protectorate's lead even if they don't want to disclose their civilian identities, granting amnesty to villains who offer to join, and offering large cash bounties for the deaths of villains who have proven themselves completely and utterly irredeemable.

* ZCE Suprisingly even a kids online game, ''VideoGame/{{Poptropica}}'', has this in effect on Super Power Island.

** However, Protectorate chiefs are under orders to ensure that all parahumans, in one way or another, march to the Protectorate's drum. This includes placing heavy restrictions on the use of superpowers in private business, asking independent heroes to follow the Protectorate's lead even if they don't want to disclose their civilian identities, and offering extremely large cash bounties for the deaths of villains who are committed monstrous crimes.

** On the permissive side; No-one with super-powers is required to register, even if they register their powers they aren't required to join government service, and as long as they refrain from killing even ''repeat offense criminals'' aren't required to disclose their identities, with severe punishments for such an act. This is justified in-universe as all powers being the result of TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening, which is unlikely to create individuals pre-disposed towards authority - and supervillains who are willing to show up for [[GodzillaThreshold the really bad incidents]] are always welcomed.
** On the oppressive side; those outside government service have incredible difficulty finding legitimate uses for their powers - gadget-makers aren't permitted to patent their inventions, espers aren't permitted to play the stock market, etc. Even "rogues" - individuals who have registered yet choose not to enter government service - are unfairly observed by auditors and law enforcement in the hopes of catching them skirting the law so they can be drafted.

Actually ''implementing'' such a system is of course a tricky proposition, given the fact your targets can do things like erase your memories or blow up tanks by pointing at them, and depends on whether you're registering [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividual super humans]] or [[SuperHero super heroes]]. In RealLife identification of a super abusing their powers could result in forfeiture of their property, termination of their employment and general suspension of their normal relationships and interactions if they are branded as a wanted felon without any need to apprehend or imprison the suspect. Of course [[RealityIsUnrealistic in fictional worlds, villains may not have a good work-life balance needed for this punishment to stick]].

Sometimes, superhero fiction writers may bring this trope up as means of creating an [[TobeLawfulOrGood ethical dilemma]] within the superhero community and thus, deconstructing WhiteAndBlackMorality and opening things up to GreyAndGrayMorality. LawfulGood superheroes will often try to work with the law to see what is best for the public and superheroes alike, although some may venture into the KnightTemplar territory at worst. NeutralGood superheroes will be the most divisive in the issue, as some superheroes will raise concern whether or not the law will allow the superhero community to continue to do what is right for everyone, or if the law will allow [[LawfulEvil lawfully inclined supervillains]] to abuse the said law. ChaoticGood superheroes who disregard all laws will obviously oppose the superhuman registration act anyways.

* The Super Registration Act has been implemented in the ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' universe for at least several decades and generally works without a hitch. The Justice Bureau approves all heroes and allows them to sign up with a sponsor company and serve as private law enforcement/celebrities (technically, it's possible to be a free agent without a sponsor, but it's almost unheard of). While only NEXT have been shown to be active as heroes, presumably anyone without a criminal record has the opportunity to become one. Any hero under investigation for criminal behavior is suspended until they're cleared of all charges. Damages are handled either by the sponsor company or, if a judge rules that property damage was necessary in order for a hero to do their job properly, by the state. However, the execution is marred by [[spoiler: the very influential (the Mayor seems unwilling/unable to disagree with him) Maverick's collusion with Ouroborus to 'promote' [=NEXTs=] as superheroes, and the fact the [[HangingJudge judge]] that oversees hero-related cases is himself secretly a vigilante and [[SerialKillerKiller killer]].]]

* Subversion in ''Manga/OnePunchMan''. Supers are not ''required'' to register, but unregistered heroes are not taken seriously by the general public. The titular character starts out as a "hero for fun" who was blissfully unaware that registration was even a thing (somehow) and does not start receiving any form of public recognition for his acts of heroism until well after he has already prevented several potentially city-destroying incidents. The registration system in play is often shown to be ludicrously wrongheaded despite the good intentions of those in charge. Many registered supers are [[NominalHero Nominal Heroes]] at best; with the top ranking heroes including a MadScientist who is only interested in testing out his latest inventions (and who never appears in person, using remote-controlled robots to fight for him), a {{Bishounen}} actor/singer/model who would rather promote himself than save people, and countless others who are only looking to improve their rankings and will actively attempt to sabotage or defame others to get ahead.

** Furthermore, its spin-off series (taking place years before the main one), ''Manga/VigilanteMyHeroAcademiaIllegals'', focuses on unregistered vigilantes. The main protagonist, Kouichi Haimawari, actually applied to the heroing school, but ended up unable to enter, ironically [[spoiler: because he was late for it because he was saving someone else's life.]] While he still does its best, it's clear that being unregistered has its downsides. The big example is when he meets Tensei Iida, Tenya's older brother. The two hit off splendidly, with the latter helping the former better utilize his sliding Quirk and even offers him a card for a potential job at his organization. However, things change when he realizes Kouichi is a Vigilante when he helps stop a villain. While Tensei is more than happy for the help and doesn't report him, he ends up asking for the card back since he can't endorse what is essentially a lawbreaker, much to Kouichi's dismay.

* ''ComicBook/CivilWar'': The big 2006 CrisisCrossover from Creator/MarvelComics, centered around the Super Human Registration Act and the superhero community's reactions to it ([[LetsYouAndHimFight an all-out slugfest]]). The X-Men stayed out of the whole conflict, perhaps so that attention wouldn't be drawn to the trope's overusedness. What's especially problematic here is that the meaning of the SHRA seems to [[DependingOnTheWriter change from comic to comic]] -- sometimes, it's just a matter of heroes registering their identities and powers with the government, but other books treat it as a sort of superhuman draft. This inconsistency and the political climate at the time (the whole thing had parallels to the freedom/security debate surrounding the Patriot Act) make the event's slogan, [[ConceptsAreCheap "Which Side Are You On?"]], much more difficult to answer. Ultimately, the pro-reg side won out but [[PyrrhicVictory at the cost of the respect of the public]], leading to ''supervillains taking over SHIELD/HAMMER for a while''.

** Perhaps [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] how overblown the concept was in ''Civil War'', the spin-off series ''Omega Flight'' noted that the Franchise/MarvelUniverse's Canada had had a Superhuman Registration Act for years, but it was never a problem because it didn't involve forced outings, secret prisons, conscripting teenagers, or supervillain mercenaries.
** Another big problem with ''ComicBook/CivilWar'', that again varied between writers, was the pro-reg side being led by people who actually had means to make normal law enforcement and military agencies less than near-helpless against metahuman criminals and de-facto private armies (never mind the diverse array of alien, extradimensional and time-travelling conquerors threatening the Earth), which meant not requiring dangerous experiments on people or production of notoriously difficult to control robots, [[ReedRichardsIsUseless but pointedly refusing to do so]]. The least strict interpretation was that you didn't have to register at all if you didn't plan on fighting crime or using your powers; otherwise, you had to register and possibly submit to some basic safety training (like gun safety training but for superpowers), but as mentioned, many other comics showed SHIELD agents bursting into people's homes at midnight and conscripting them by force. It also didn't help that writers couldn't even agree on the scope of the act's jurisdiction, as some issues showed SHIELD troops arresting Silverclaw, who, as she pointed out in the scene, was a Brazilian citizen, and also Black Panther, who's not only not an American but a head of state. He, at least, was able to invoke DiplomaticImpunity.
** Another issue was what constituted a superhuman. By strict definition, Captain America isn't superhuman. He's just as physically fit as a human being is capable of becoming. Hawkeye doesn't even have that, yet each were subject to registration. Is wearing a costume to fight crime a condition of registration?
* In ''ComicBook/CivilWarII'' tie-in ''The Accused'', the trial of [[spoiler:Hawkeye for the death of [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]]]] was being pushed incredibly heavily to get it up and running way sooner than it should. ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} discovers that this was a conspiracy to get a ''second'' S.R.A. passed by getting a guilty verdict. [[spoiler:Daredevil becomes a SpannerInTheWorks by getting Hawkeye acquitted.]]
* In a neat bit of historical reference, UsefulNotes/{{the Bronze Age|OfComicBooks}} ''All-Star Comics'' series [[RetCon revealed]] the reason the Justice Society had broken up in the '50s: they were called before a [[CaptainErsatz thinly-disguised version]] of the House Un-American Activities Committee and asked to reveal their identities. Unwilling to do so but also unwilling to go against the law, they stopped operating for a time. (In a ComicBook/PostCrisis {{Retcon}}, this was changed to the actual HUAC.)

* This is a central point in the comic series ''ComicBook/{{Powers}}''. The main characters are [[BuddyCopShow Buddy Cops]] who investigate crimes related to registered and unregistered superpowered heroes and villains. The registration is in effect from the start, and being caught unregistered has a lot of legal woes tied to it. In fact it's even illegal to own a COSTUME unless you're registered which must make fancy dress parties a nightmare in this world. [[spoiler:Things go further for awhile in some issues, when after the local version of Superman goes insane/senile and decides that he's God and tries to enforce morality on the world, the use of any powers becomes illegal]]. It then lampshades this as of course the ONLY people who follow a law as ridiculous as that are the HEROES. The psychotic supervillains still run riot, the only difference is that now only badly underqualified humans are left to try (and fail) to stop them. In the end the heroes return, realizing that justice is a lot more important than "The Law".

* This happened when reality got changed so that Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman never existed in the 2009 series ''Trinity''. The alternate [[ComicBook/TheFlash Flash]] delivers an epic WhatTheHellHero when he orders the solders trying to arrest him (in the middle of a battle against supervillains!) to do something useful and actually ''be'' heroes.

* A ''She-Hulk'' comic has She-Hulk, a lawyer, naturally, use this as a benevolent purpose, not to exploit anyone but so that superheroes can simply be legally licensed.

* ''Fanfic/CoreLine'': On the setting's backstory, the attempt by various Alternates of Tony Stark (yeah, you read that right, ''plural'') to launch the Super-Human Registration Act on The Line was a partial success... after some toil and a few random battles and everybody hating on how bad ''ComicBook/CivilWar'' got (the setting is keen on BreakingTheFourthWall, with information troves like the actual comics, Wikis and ''this very page'' available to everybody). "Partial" in that what they wanted, which was at best the S.H.R.A. as was ''exactly'' written on the Marvel Universe (with all the jack-booted {{Jerkass}}ery ''that'' would have legally allowed) and at worst a legal way to conscript all of the super-humans in the United States into the armed forces, was not approved. The Line's version of the S.H.R.A. is not legally pressing for people who don't want to be superheroes (if you have powers and saved somebody's life but you just pulled the HeroicBystander[=/=]BadassBystander act, you won't get CapeBusters after you), and those who do get benefits from registering, such as a U.N.-approved I.F.F. code for international operations and optional training plus a higher chance of being head-hunted by groups like the Justice League Unlimited and Avengers Infinity (or deputy status in law enforcement agencies/being allowed to become a member of said agencies and still use your costume as long as you identify yourself as a member) and you can use your hero identity in court.

* The film ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'' inverts the situation, with the superhero registration program existing to protect the Supers from the general public. The DVD extra materials make it clear that this program existed before the movie started, with the government providing logistical support to registered heroes and helping keep their secret identities secret. None of the supers seem to mind. Then, as shown in the movie, a series of successful lawsuits against Supers leads to a wave of anti-hero sentiment. The government passes the Superhero Relocation Act, granting amnesty to all the supers (and relocating them à la the Witness Protection Program), on the condition that they retire from superheroics and lead normal lives. And when Bob Parr (aka Mr. Incredible) continues hero-ing anyway (blame ChronicHeroSyndrome), his liaison with the superhero registration agency covers for him and helps Bob relocate again (and again, and again...), rather than leaving him to be prosecuted as a vigilante.

* In Creator/SergeyLukyanenko's ''Literature/NightWatch'', all [[DifferentlyPoweredIndividuals Others]] are usually required to register with the opposite Watch (i.e. Day Watch for Light Others and Night Watch for Dark Others) when they move into an area, especially if they are vampire or werewolves. For the most part, the {{Muggle}}s are not aware of them, and one of the functions of the Watches and the Inquisition is to keep it that way. In fact, many new Others are initiated by the Watches themselves, as they're the ones who actively look for uninitiated Others.

** In Season Ten, the government passes a "Vigilante Registration Act" with some help from [[spoiler: {{ComicBook/Darkseid}}'s influence.]] Several episodes later, efforts spearheaded by Senator Martha Kent get it repealed.

* ''Series/AgentsOfShield'' has made reference to an index they keep of super powered individuals. Trying to get the Inhumans on it led to a small war. It's also shown they have facilities for holding super humans they deem a danger.

* The ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}} 5th Edition'' has a Superhuman Registration Act in its game universe BackStory. It uses it in an uncommonly sensible fashion -- widespread public protests were unable to get it formally repealed, but it's now a law that the government virtually never tries to enforce, let alone use as an excuse for metahuman conscription. Several of the most prominent superhero teams of the Champions Universe have officially registered and sanctioned themselves, but many superheroes have chosen not to, with little official interference in their lives. It still remains on the books, but it's normally used only as the legal authority to demand (and record, and distribute) the true identity of any metahuman already being arrested on another criminal charge. However, the lives of registered metahumans are made easier in several ways as compared to unregistered ones -- they can testify in court without having to reveal their secret identities publically (as those identities have already been revealed to the government and are thus available to the court, if not the public), they are offered opportunities for basic law enforcement training and certification as deputies, etc. They do need to follow certain guidelines - not killing opponens unless completely unavoidable, trying to avoid colateral damage and such, however.
** Technically, those that are not registered are considered to be vigilanties and, as such, criminals. This is rarely enforced except in extreme cases; Vigilantes who kill opponents are considered criminals and are hunted by the law.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', the Imperium of Man makes a point to hunt down psykers, humans with psychic powers. The majority are killed, while the remnants are 'sanctioned' after much conditioning to serve the Imperium in various fashions, or used to [[PoweredByAForsakenChild power their giant space beacon]]. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that untrained psykers minds are open to the Warp, which can cause them to to unwittingly summon or even create monstrous [[CosmicHorror Cosmic Horrors]] known as daemons wherever they go, as well as [[SuperPowerMeltdown other]] [[NegativeSpaceWedgie horrible]] [[SuperpoweredEvilSide things]]. A single rogue psyker can cause soul-eating daemons to overrun an ''entire planet'', forcing the Inquisition to come and deliver an EarthShatteringKaboom to the unfortunate world. And if the beacon were allowed to go out, the Imperium would collapse and humanity would be eaten by {{Eldritch Abomination}}s.

* White Wolf's ''TabletopGame/{{Aberrant}}'' had a rather underhanded variety. While there is no official law requiring Novas to register, their powers tend to be hard to control without specialized training and medical care. Both are available only from Project Utopia, so most of them end up there, policing their "unenlightened" brethren. In the process they're also [[spoiler:'''''unknowingly sterilized.''''' It should be no surprise that the setting concludes with every Nova on Earth discovering this fact and going on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge that pretty much [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt wrecks the entire world]] - after which the authorities [[WrittenByTheWinners destroy all records of their crimes]], claim that [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity all Novas inevitably go insane]], and systematically kill them from that point on.]] On a lighter note, in the world of Aberrant there also exists image firms like Appellate Lexington, that will register a super identity and make up a costume for you [[spoiler: of course the next page has an anonymous Op Net user declaring the firms as a Utopia net to catch (identify/keep tabs) those Novas that evade Project Utopia's Rashoud Facilities]]

** Amn is the primary location of the second game of ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'', and this trope comes into play. Imoen's plot-mandated stupidty sees her and the EvilSorcerer Irenicus both captured and imprisoned for spellcasting, and if the player casts any arcane spells of any kind in the city, a Cowled Wizard will teleport in. For a first offense, he warns the player not to do it again, noting they can go and buy a license in the Government district. On any time after that, unless the player has bought a license, it will summon a hitsquad of Cowled Wizards, a difficult fight that also drops the party's [[KarmaMeter Reputation]].
** Wolfe can absorb the powers of other powers. He later gains the ability to [[spoiler: drain them at a distance when Johnny Royale uses his brain matter to make Sway and distributes it to a huge number of Powers.]]

* In the {{MMORPG}} ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'', where super-powered individuals are, indeed, required to register their powers, identity, etc. with the local authorities in order to get their superhero license. This makes the superheroes official agents of the government, and gives them full rights to beat up anybody who wears gang symbols, black hats, or hooded robes. There is, however, a ShoutOut to the trope in the game's BackStory: a "Might for Rights" act was passed during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, drafting super-powered individuals to "fight against communism", but it was overturned as unconstitutional after massive protests from said super-powered beings and their supporters. This lead to the formation of the Malta Operatives, who intend to kill any super who will not work for them and have developed weapons to fight them with.

* A program similar to the above Babylon 5 example exists in ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'', where any telepath born within Confederate space must be taken to the Confederate training centers, where they're turned into the Ghosts ([[SuperSoldier psychic commandos]]). One of the most famous being Sarah Kerrigan. This program was continued by the Dominion. The ExpandedUniverse reveals more about the Ghost Academy. For one, all new recruits undergo a memory wipe in order to start new lives in the service of the Confederacy/Dominion. The program also makes no distinction between the status of the telepath. November Annabella "Nova" Terra is the daughter of the head of a powerful Old Family of Tarsonis. Even she is not safe from the Ghost Academy, requiring her father to suppress all knowledge of her abilities, even from herself, to protect her, which grows increasingly difficult as her powers grow exponentially (her telekinetic blasts are more powerful than a tactical nuke).

* As an adaptation of the ''Civil War'' story arc mentioned above, ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance 2'' has the Superhuman Registration Act as the main source of conflict, although it does not come into play until about the third stage. And the ending is altered so that [[spoiler:a Nanite-controlled Nick Fury becomes TheStarscream and both teams have to work together to beat some sense into him.]] This is also a possible ending in the first game: if you fail to save Robert Kelly in Murderworld, he will break out on his own and lobby for a law for mutant registration, which gets passed and results in mutants being sent to "reeducation" camps.

* The Webcomic ''Fellowship of Heroes'' offers a world with a voluntary superhero registration project to give heroes official sanction, with an organisation that doesn't hunt down unregistrated heroes. Still, "Indie" heroes are considered rather controversial. Word of God states that the agency is a largely declawed agency from the 50's and 60's. The government had created a superhero registration act and was trying to expand it to international law, but the heroes responded in a stunningly effective two-pronged manner: firstly they hitched their own cause with the Civil Rights movement (causing a GREAT deal of nasty surprises for the Klan, among others), and in the late sixties they resorted to deporting en masse to an independent island nation, refusing to offer any heroic aid to any nation that supported the superhero registration act. Massive public embarrassment-- and one or two hero-deprived natural disasters-- convinced most of the world governments to change their minds.

* [[AvertedTrope Averted]] and discussed in ''Webcomic/{{Spinnerette}}''. The supreme court has evidently decided that superpowers fall under second amendment protection, and laws have been passed enabling superheroes to act within the legal system without revealing identities to anybody, but there are also groups that oppose this state of affairs and want to take this trope more literally. However, a number of other countries, such as Canada and Switzerland, have different laws and superheroes are government employees, while North Korea has a military SuperBreedingProgram.

* The government of ''Webcomic/{{Supermom}}'' requires all heroes fighting crime to register as part of the military or police force. Vigilantism is illegal. [[spoiler:And the government might be rounding up superpowered children under the excuse of civilian safety]].

* ZigZagged in ''Literature/{{Worm}}'';

** On the oppressive side; those outside government service have incredible difficulty finding legitimate uses fo their powers - gadget-makers aren't permitted to patent their inventions, espers aren't permitted to play the stock market, etc. Even "rogues" - individuals who have registered yet choose not to enter government service - are unfairly observed by auditors and law enforcement in the hopes of catching them skirting the law so they can be drafted.

* Also appears in the early-'90s ''WesternAnimation/XMen'' cartoon, though the "Mutant Control Agency" in that series is "a private organization, occasionally supported by the government", and the registration is seemingly done voluntarily. Later, the government tries to shut it down when they notice the X-Men breaking, determining that if mutants were taking violent action against the organization than it was getting too extreme. Apparently nobody in the government checked to notice that the control agency had plans to send giant robots out to abduct any mutants that registered, and [[HeWhoFightsMonsters likely caused more damage than the mutants they were supposed to protect the common humans from]].

* In the third ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'' game, it becomes impossible to [[TransformationSequence EM Wave Change]] without first joining up with the Satella Police and getting a "Transcode." As Geo demonstrates in the beginning of the game, trying to Wave Change without a Transcode locks up the Hunter-VG and makes it impossible to use. This is for protection, as the ''very first boss'' of the ''very first game'' is actually a normal human that became the host of one of the invading FM-ians, who made him [[FusionDance Wave Change]] in order to [[DemonicPossession take over his body]] and cause chaos, hiding inside his Transer to pass unnoticed. Actually, the same can be said of most of them -- ''including Sonia'' ([[FaceHeelTurn at first]]). Making the device lock up would make unwilling transformations impossible.

** Creator/DarwynCooke's ''ComicBook/TheNewFrontier'' [[BroadStrokes streamlined]] much of the above together, establishing that most of the JSA willingly retired, one or two holdouts (such as Hourman) died trying to evade the police, Superman and Wonder Woman (who were only honorary members) willingly submitted to the Eisenhower Administration, and Batman (whose status was always... murky) managed to get the Administration to ignore him after a publicly-staged brawl with Superman.

->''"[[Comicbook/KittyPryde Here's a girl in Illinois who can walk through walls.]] Now, what's to stop her from walking into a bank vault? Or the White House? Or ''into their houses?'' And there are even rumors, [[JeanGrey Miss Grey]], of mutants so powerful that they can enter our minds and control our thoughts, taking away our God-given free will. Now I think the American people deserve the right to decide if they want their children to be in school with mutants. To be taught by mutants! Ladies and gentlemen, the truth is that mutants are very real, and that they are among us. We must know who they are, and above all, what they can do!"''